Chapter 9

My skin crawled from the scents assaulting me. It took all my self-control not to rip out the IV line that was still in the crook of my elbow and check myself out of this fucking hospital.

Jade had stayed with me most of the day but then had to leave to handle shit with the doctors and nurses. Trevor was supposed to meet her to help with whatever was going on with the hospital, then she'd said she would come back to eat dinner with me. I had been texting back and forth with Ethan throughout the day but he got quiet around dinner time. Jade came back to sit with me to decide what food we would get after the meeting bullshit. That distracted me again until Trevor called her, asking for permission to arrange indefinite protection for Ethan's mom and sister.

His call sparked a ton of questions, and we learned about Ethan's dads going into full villain mode. It was only Trevor's reassurance that he had everything handled and that Ethan needed to focus on his family that kept Jade and I from charging over to be with him. Trevor said he would drop Ethan off at our house and come to the hospital to spend the night with me. Jade left shortly after Trevor's call saying that she needed to be at the house when Ethan got there because Miles and Shae were planning on seeing Cat before visiting hours ended. Ethan being alone, even if it was at the house, wasn't something any of us would tolerate until we'd eliminated the threats hanging over our pack.

I was trying to watch some show that Ethan and Shae loved about an Alpha doctor that solves crimes in a small Australian town while he secretly pines after the widowed Omega who helps his practice. It wasn't distracting me like I'd hoped. The show wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't have picked it on my own and I kept thinking about how much better it would be with Ethan curled up against me on the couch.

Someone rapped against the mostly closed door to my room and Trevor walked in with two bags of take out before I had time to say "come in" or "fuck off" or anything. He kicked the door closed and dropped into the chair closest to the bed, tossing a bag to me. The motion caused the air to stir and I caught the scent of cinnamon rolls lingering on him. A low growl crawled up my throat. Trevor paused from unwrapping his shawarma and gave me an understanding look.

"Take a deep breath, man. Let your senses recognize how little of your Omega's scent is on me. I drove him to his mom's old house and then home from her new one. I didn't touch him."

I did as Trevor instructed, pulling air in deeply through my nose. I thought it would be hard to distinguish between Ethan's scent, Trevor's, and all the others from the hospital that kept assaulting my senses. However, Ethan's faint cinnamon roll perfume came in clearly. It was like my body was so attuned to him that it could find him anywhere. Trev had been right though; my hindbrain was appeased that the scent wasn't stronger. I was equal parts embarrassed and annoyed with myself. I hung my head as I reached into the bag for my own sandwich.

"Sorry. Even if you had… touched him. I shouldn't have reacted like that. We're both bonded to Jade," I ignored the pang of fear that shot through me over our missing bond and what that meant for my future, "and I've never felt possessive of her."

Trevor shrugged as he chewed, as if it was no big deal but I could see the tension in him. He had been working hard to claw his way back to us and I knew his feelings toward Ethan were changing. Whether he was ready to act on those changes was another story, but I wouldn't stand in his way when that day came. He swallowed and looked in the direction of the door, not really taking anything in as much as avoiding my gaze as he spoke.

"I think it's different with Jade because she's an Alpha, too, and there's no doubt that she can take care of herself. So that hindbrain part doesn't trip with her. Also, Ethan has been through hell and he's your Omega. Your instincts are going to go fucking insane making you want to do anything to make his life perfect."

"Too."

He did look at me then, one brow raised.

"Huh?"

"You said Jade's an Alpha, too."

"Yeah, too. Everything you are describing sounds like how I felt when my designation emerged. Remember that kid who made Talia cry?"

I chuckled because I definitely remembered that time. I'd been fourteen, Trev had been a new Alpha at sixteen, and Talia, our little sister was ten.

"You broke his nose. Mom and Dad panicked that you'd get arrested or something, but they just chalked it up to you being a protective Alpha."

"Talia didn't emerge as an Omega for years after that but, even then, my instincts to protect her went beyond what most of the guys I knew felt about their younger siblings." He rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his eyes to mine. "I know I fucked up with Ethan, I do. I want to fix it but the way that my Alpha instincts make me want to dance to his tune still scares me some. But I'm trying, Theo. You have nothing to worry about from me. I'd never hurt him again."

I didn't like seeing him torturing himself like this.

"Talk to him when you're ready, Trev. I think I get it a little better now. I'd be a fuckin' liar if I said there weren't times that I wanted to be an Alpha more than just about anything. Being with Ethan during his heat and not being able to really help him, not being able to claim him like an Alpha would have? Brutal. But now, there are things that are changing and I'm—fuck, I'm scared."

Trev moved to sit on the bed and gripped my shoulder as I breathed through all the emotions running through me.

"I can't feel her anymore, Trev."

"What? Feel who?"

"Jade. Whatever that Alpha shot me up with, or maybe it's the whole turning into an Alpha thing. I don't know, but our bond is almost completely gone."

Trevor sucked in a breath and his scent deepened, feeling heavier and almost damp. I caught his eyes, and the sorrow there made me look away. Alphas senses were crazy. I don't think I would have picked up that subtle scent shift before.

"What if I can't bond now? Shae's bonds are still intact but mine…if I can't feel Jade anymore, it'll be like a missing limb. I wanted to feel Ethan through a bond someday, too. I'd thought it would be sort of faint, a little like when I could feel the rest of you through Jade. But what kind of Alpha would I be if I just growl and purr but can't knot or bond him?"

"You'll be his Alpha, dumbass. Look, I can't imagine how it would feel to not be bonded to Jade anymore. You two are handling this way better than I ever would. Maybe the bond's just gone dormant or something because your body is changing? Fuck, that makes it sound like some school lecture or something but just… don't give up on that, okay?"

I nodded, breathed out, and took another bite of my sandwich. Trevor scooted back into his chair and kept eating too. After a few minutes, I needed to break the silence and all the fucking feelings just hanging over us.

"Did you know you can get hard with a catheter in? Fucking painful. Zero out of ten, do not recommend."

Trevor choked on his mouthful and started laughing.

"Ethan jumped on me when I first woke up and, yeah, it was pretty awkward asking the nurse to wait a minute."

"Man, I did not need to know that."

He kept laughing and that made me smile as I finished my food, happy to have lightened the mood somewhat. He cleared his throat and I looked over to see him smirking.

"Since we're talking about weird shit anyway. If that's why you think you won't have a knot, you should know that after an Alpha emerges, it doesn't show up until the first time you get off. So… unless you've been spending all your alone time here rubbing one out… that may not be the problem you think it is."

I balled up my sandwich wrapper and chucked it at him, which only made him grin more. Another knock sounded on the door and the nurse who'd been taking care of me while I'd been in hospital came into the room.

"Any word on what I need to do to break out of here?"

"You have to talk to Dr. Thomas, and he has to start your discharge papers. Nothing about your tests or your vitals gives us any cause to keep you here and, after earlier, I don't think there'll be a problem."

Trevor let out a dark chuckle and I quirked a brow at him but he shook his head.

"Could you send him our way and let him know that I'd like to go home?"

She nodded and went about checking all the things they'd been checking every few hours before going to the door. As she opened it, I heard Shae's voice saying hello to her before they came in with Miles.

"Hey, Tough Guy, they sick of you brooding in here yet?"

"Shut up, kid."

"Still older than you."

Miles grinned fondly at them as they both sat on the bed opposite me. An Omega's perfume tickled my senses and my nose scrunched—marshmallows. I remembered Cat having a mild scent like that. It made sense now that she was an Omega for it to have turned into a full perfume, but I didn't like it being around me.

"How's Cat?"

Shae's smile fell and I suddenly wished I hadn't asked.

"Not great, honestly. She's starting suppressants while she's here, and then she's going back to her apartment when she gets released." Shae started to bite on the corner of their thumbnail while they spoke. Miles gently tugged it away before threading their fingers together. Shae gave him a little smile and turned back to me. "We ran into Bodhi, on our way out of her room, and he said he was going to try to get the police to set up some kind of watch on the girls' houses too."

My brow creased when I remembered how Bodhi had reacted to finding Cat, but I still hadn't had the chance to talk to him about it. Hearing that he was visiting her in the hospital as well only confirmed my suspicions that something was going on there. Before I could ask Shae anything else, the asshole doctor came in with a scowl that only deepened when he saw I wasn't alone in my room. The dickhead started speaking without any kind of courtesy as he walked toward me, as if he were talking to a very dumb child.

"Mr. Owens, I'm going to be frank. I do not believe it is in your best interests to leave the hospital until we know what is going on with your apparent transition?—"

As he talked, he neared my bed and I caught Jade's eucalyptus and mint scent clinging to his clothes. My breathing picked up and I took a deep inhale through my nose, thinking about what Trevor had pointed out to me earlier with Ethan's scent. It was older but this fucker had definitely been in contact with my Alpha. I saw red, and a feral snarl ripped from between my bared teeth as I lunged for the puny man. His scent soured and he stumbled back, landing on his ass. Trevor wrapped his arms around mine, pinning them to my sides as I growled.

"Easy, Alpha." Trevor spoke clearly but soft enough that only I could hear him over the sounds I was making. "Our girl showed him exactly why it was in his best interests to do exactly what she asked of him. Meaning, stay the fuck away from you, Cat, and the other new Omegas. That's all you're scenting. Her handing him his ass while he sat there nearly pissing himself."

My eyes narrowed on the doctor as he stood, his hands visibly shaking, and inched backwards toward the door. My voice was laced with menace and a hint of the growl I still couldn't quite hold back.

"I am leaving tonight. You will do whatever paperwork that needs to be done so I can go home. Do you understand?"

The man nodded frantically and he quickly exited the room, not bothering to close the door behind him as Trevor released me with a dark laugh.

"That's the second time today I've watched that man run away from a member of our pack. Maybe this time it will finally shake some sense into him."

Miles spoke then and I turned to where he was sitting, keeping himself between Shae and the door.

"He better. Based on what Jade said, I'm not willing to give him a third chance."

Shae leaned into Miles' side and wrapped their arms around his middle. He absently ran his fingers along their arms as he watched the door. Trevor fussed at me to get back into the bed. I was grateful that I hadn't still been hooked up to a bag through my IV when I went after the doctor. I huffed at him as he patted the blankets around me, as if he was tucking me in, and smiled like an idiot.

It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later that the nurse came back in with a huge smile on her face. While we'd been waiting, Trevor had let it slip that she was the one who alerted Jade about the doctor's scheming. Based on her smile, his colleagues liked him about as much as we did.

"Alright, so this stack of papers just talks about things to watch out for, like high fevers and other symptoms that are indicators you would need to go to the emergency room. The bigger issue for you will be making sure you contact your private physician as soon as possible, so they can continue to monitor your transition. You're not at risk as much as the women who presented as Omegas, but you should still be cautious. Other than that, just sign here, then I'll get your IV line out and you're free to go."

I stood and reached out for the clipboard, signing what I needed to then handing the packet of directions and warnings off to Trevor. Then I reached out my arm so she could take the needle out. She gently peeled off the tape and got a few strips of gauze ready to cover the small amount of blood that would come from the puncture site. The blackberry blossom scent that swirled around Shae began to sour and Miles wrapped them in his arms, whispering things only they could hear. Even so, the faintest notes still lingered after the nurse had disposed of the needle and put a piece of tape over the gauze. She smiled kindly to Shae, who returned it weakly, before she left us alone again. Trevor looked at me, still in the hospital gown, and grinned.

"Didn't think they'd be that fast. Let me run down to my car to get you something to wear home. I'll be quick."

I swallowed the frustration over not thinking of that sooner as Trevor jogged from the room, knowing how badly I wanted to be back in our home.

"How are you doing over there, kiddo?"

Shae smiled at me, though it was tighter, more restrained than before, and they weren't participating in our usual back and forth about how their general demeanor made them seem like the youngest in the pack. They stood from Miles" embrace, and I watched him visibly struggle to not reach back out for them as they walked over to where I was still standing and wrapped their arms around me.

"No more scaring us like that, okay, Tough Guy? I'm sorry you're going through this because of me."

I hugged them back and clicked my tongue.

"None of that bullshit. I'd do it again, regardless, knowing exactly what would happen. And you don't get to feel badly about it. Hear me?"

They nodded and stepped back from me only to be tugged into Miles" lap. I snagged my phone from the table by the bed and proceeded to text the pack chat to let Jade and Ethan know I would be home tonight. I couldn't wait to see them, to know they were safe in our home. Then I'd get Ethan back in his nest to put Trevor's theory about me and a knot to the test.

By the time our house came into view, it felt like hours had passed. I knew Trevor wasn't driving slow at all, but it felt like the miles dragged. My knee was bouncing so violently that when we stopped at a light, the whole car shook at the same rhythm, causing Trevor to laugh at me and tell me to chill the fuck out.

We pulled into one of the spaces at the front of the house and I couldn't get out of there and into our home fast enough. I flung open the front door, leaving it that way because Trevor was right behind me.

I needed to see my Omega right the fuck now.

A few steps into the house, I heard a sharp intake of breath. Ethan ran around the corner of the family room, meeting me in the short hall between the entry way and the back of the house. He was wearing soft flannel pajama pants and one of my Henleys. Something in me cracked seeing the emotion all over his face as we closed the gap between us.

He jumped and crushed his lips to mine as our arms wrapped around each other and his legs locked around my hips. I kissed him with everything I had, just like I'd done with Jade that morning, and tried to make him understand how fucking vital he was to me. I let up on the kiss just enough to sink my teeth into his lower lip. Just a nip, the way he liked and a long, low Omega whine slipped through his parted lips. Holy fuck. My cock had never been so hard. I needed him. There was a perfectly good wall right there, I'd just need to slip my—a throat cleared, obnoxiously, behind us, breaking the moment. I whipped my head toward the noise, teeth bared and a growl on my lips.

Trevor stood with his hands at chest level, palms facing me, his head tilted slightly in submission and his eyes down. The possessive rage that had filled me drained at the sight, my new instincts recognizing that there was no threat.

"You all might want to take that up to the nest, for a little more privacy?"

Ethan's face pressed into my neck as his arms and legs tightened around me. He groaned a little embarrassed noise that turned into something far sexier when his hold on me ground our hard lengths against one another. I rubbed my cheek along his temple, still holding Trevor's gaze. Scent marking my Omega settled that territorial rage that had crept up within me. Fuck, this whole Alpha thing was—no, I wouldn't think about that. I gripped the thick globes of Ethan's ass before breaking my staring contest with Trevor and moving toward the stairs with my Omega in my arms. I started up the stairs at a clipped pace but was huffing by the time we reached the floor with Jade's, Trevor's, and my rooms. Ethan was pressing teasing kisses against my neck and jaw while attempting to keep his body still to make it easier to carry him. A small husky laugh slipped out of him before he spoke.

"I can walk if I'm too heavy for you."

I stopped moving and he leaned back to look at me with a bratty little smirk on his lips.

"I was basically in a coma, like, twenty-four hours ago and this house has too many fucking stairs."

"I bet if you asked nicely, Miles would have one of those chairs installed that helps you up and down the stairs."

I growled and spun us until his back was against the wall as I took his mouth. All that sass was quickly forgotten when his fingers dug into my shoulders and his hips ground frantically against mine.

"Not going to make it to your nest, Omega. Let me fuck you in my bed. Make it smell like you."

Ethan whined and nodded fast. It was only a few more steps to my room. I forced one of my hands from Ethan's body and pushed the door open long enough for us to get through and then I kicked it closed. He pulled away from me and took a deep breath in through his nose, his pupils completely blown, and a soft whimper slipped out.

"Ohhh. Smells like you, and some like Jade. Fuck, I need you, Theo."

I grinned at the nearly drunk expression on his perfect face before I tossed him on my bed. He laughed until I put a knee between his legs, forcing his thighs to part, and a hand on either side of his head so I was looming over him. His perfume was so thick in the air it was almost like his heat—or maybe it was my improved senses? Whatever it was, I would think about later, because I was mesmerized by the sight of him pressed into my gray comforter. My eyes catalogued his perfection. Nearly black curls, straight nose, hazel eyes, and those full, soft lips.

"So fucking beautiful, Omega."

The smile on my face dropped as I looked back at his eyes and saw the shine lining them. His hands reached out and gripped onto my shirt as if he thought that was all that was keeping me from slipping away.

"You scared me, Theo. I know things can happen at any time, but first Shae and then you." A wounded, choking sob forced its way out of him though I could tell he fought to keep it in. "You wouldn't wake up and so many Betas had died from those experiments and you wouldn't wake up—I…"

My fucking heart. His pain was reaching into my chest and ripping me to shreds.

"Ethan, I'm so sorry. I can't say I wouldn't do it again, because we got Shae back, but I never wanted to scare you like that. I love you, Biscuit."

"I love you, so much, you giant idiot. Can you all just not do scary shit any more or put it on hold for a while at least? I need you all here. Need you all safe and with me."

His plea resonated through me and my hindbrain screamed at me to do whatever he said because he was my Omega and my purpose was to make him happy. My logical brain forced through the haze of instinct and reminded me that the Jackals were still out there. That Alpha who ran everything in that warehouse, the fucker who changed me into this, and whoever was helping them. I couldn't promise that to Ethan until all the people who were a threat to him were behind bars or in the ground.

"I hear you. I want that for us, too, but I'm not going to lie to you either. You know as well as I do that we're going to be fighting on all fronts to bring these people down. That Jade or I or someone else will have to get our hands dirty again."

He whimpered and pulled me down by the grip he still had on my shirt. I let him have most of my weight and I felt the tension bleed from his body. His face was buried in my neck, taking deep breaths of my scent. I brushed my cheek against his temple and spoke softly by his ear.

"Ethan, no matter what we have to do, though, know that every one of us will fight with everything we have to get back to you. Nothing is more important to me or Jade or Trevor, any of us, than this pack being whole and happy."

He nodded into my neck and we stayed like that for a moment longer until the subtle shifting of his hips became too much to ignore.

"Still need me, Biscuit?"

I pressed my hard length into his and he sucked in a sharp breath that ended with a moan.

"Always. I'm always going to need you."

Fuck, I'd never get tired of hearing that he and Jade were as obsessed with me as I was with them.

"As much as I love seeing you in my clothes, take them off."

I leaned back until I was standing and could take the t-shirt and basketball shorts that Trevor had loaned me off as fast as possible. Ethan laid there for a second, just staring at me as his perfume filled the room. I reached down and lightly pinched his thigh. Shaking his head, he started to shimmy his pants down and tried to take his shirt off at the same time, which only resulted in an adorably frustrated tangle of Omega and clothing.

Giving him the illusion of privacy in his little struggle, I turned to get the lube I'd stashed in one of my bedside tables. By the time I turned around, stroking my cock to get it ready for him, Ethan was naked, hard, and panting for me.

"Lean back, Omega. Show me what's mine."

The breath rushed out of him as he leaned back on his elbows and brought his feet up to the bed, spreading his knees. I growled because he looked fucking delicious but I wanted more. Climbing back onto the bed, my knees between his spread legs, I gripped behind the back of his thighs and pressed them up and out until every inch of him was spread open for me. A soft keening sound pulled my attention from the thick curve of his ass and the tight heat I couldn't wait to sink into, to where his straining dick was leaking. Precum pooled on his stomach, if he hadn't been an Omega, I'd have thought he'd already come.

"Hold your knees for me like that, love."

Ethan's hands took over the spots where mine had been and he tugged on them, causing his hips to lift from the mattress. I couldn't stop staring but it wasn't enough, I needed to taste him as much as I needed to be inside him.

I curled myself over him and slipped the dripping head of his dick into my mouth, groaning. Fuck me, his taste. I'd always heard that an Omega's slick and cum tasted better than a Beta's or an Alpha's, and I'd thought that Ethan lived up to that before, but since I'd begun this change? His precum might as well have been icing on a cinnamon roll. It was fucking wild, and I didn't want to stop sucking him off until I knew if his cum tasted as sweet.

"Please, Theo. I want you inside me. Please."

As much as I wanted to spend hours exploring how different everything tasted and felt now, I couldn't ignore the desperation in his voice.

I sat back and fisted my still slick dick, pressing just the smallest amount against his sensitive rim. He tried to rock himself into me but I pulled my hips back, extending the tease, until?—

"Please, Alpha."

A switch flipped somewhere inside me and a growl ripped out of me as I surged into Ethan's tight, hot body and claimed his mouth at the same time. He cried out as I pressed fully into him and I held myself still for a moment, letting him adjust. My weight was keeping him spread open for me so his hands left the backs of his legs and gripped my shoulders, nails digging in as he panted through the sensation of finally being together like this again.

"Move, Theo. More."

I pulled out slowly as I leaned back until I was about halfway out then slowly slid back in, snapping my hips at the last inch, and making him mewl, only to repeat the process again. I wanted to fuck him right into the mattress, but I also wasn't ready for this to be over. My cock felt like it was getting impossibly harder, and I couldn't stop staring at where Ethan's tight hole was taking every aching inch of me. If I hadn't been so mesmerized by the sight, I might not have noticed the swelling that had begun at the base of my cock. I wasn't getting harder; it was a fucking knot. Holy shit.

I'd stopped my movements and Ethan whined but then he realized that I wasn't just teasing him again; that something was off.

"Are you alright, Theo? Was this too much after the hospital? Fuck, did the doctor say you couldn't have sex and you didn't tell me!"

My sweet Omega pulled himself from my cock and kneeled in front of me, taking my face in his hands and tipping my head up until I was looking straight into his eyes. I swallowed thickly and his thumbs brushed along my cheeks. My voice was barely a whisper, but he was so close that he heard it anyway.

"Knot."

"What?"

He looked down to my still hard cock, despite my internal panic, and the growing bulge at the base. Ethan's perfume spiked and his dick twitched making me smile despite the unease still settling within me.

"But we knew you were going through everything like an Alpha who was emerging. Why is this bothering you, Theo? Help me understand so I can help."

"I don't know. I could kind of ignore the other things, except the purr. They weren't all that different from how I was before but this…" I blew out a breath. "All the times that I wished I'd been able to give you what you were begging for and worrying that I wouldn't be enough for you during a heat. That somehow, I'd mean less to you than your other partners, eventually?—"

Ethan's little Omega growl ripped through the space between us. His fingers tightened beneath my jaw as he pulled his mouth to mine, claiming it in the most possessive and forceful kiss he'd ever given me. Using his grip, he pushed me down to the bed and climbed over me until he straddled my hips. His furious gaze locked on my face as he continued to hold me down with his hands braced on my chest.

"You better listen to what I'm about to say, Theo Owens. I don't give a fuck what your designation is. Alpha, Beta, Omega—I wouldn't care. Knot or no. Bond or no. You are mine. I am not letting you go and fuck you for thinking so little of me."

I sat up so quickly that my abs burned and I nearly headbutted him in my haste to wrap my arms around him and press my lips to his.

"I love you. So fucking much."

He rose up onto his knees and reached down to squeeze where my knot was growing again. I groaned and dropped my head back at how fucking good that felt. The clenching muscle of his entrance engulfed the head of my cock and I looked back at his face. Watching as his mouth dropped open the further he slid on to me. He worked himself up and down my length slowly, but each time he descended, he stopped before the knot, kissing me softly as he rode me. I clutched at the fullness of his ass and moaned into his mouth and he groaned in response.

"Theo, I'm going to come. Want your knot though. Can I have it or…"

As if I wouldn't rip my heart out if he asked me to. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about what it would feel like or if I would hurt him, but I nodded anyway. The next time he moved down on me, his tight hole stretched as he reached my knot and forced it to slip inside him.

"Ohholyfuuuuck, Ethan!"

I dropped onto my back and held his hips down as I pressed mine up into him and arched my back. He cried out my name as his cum shot out across my chest and my neck. His inner muscles clenched on my knot and my orgasm barreled through me as I came harder than I ever had.

"Ohmigod, your knot...piercing. Fuck, Theo. It's so good."

Ethan kept rocking where we were locked together and I couldn't speak, could barely breathe. I just kept coming.

"I can still feel you coming. I'm going to come again, Theo, I—fuck."

More ropes of his release coated me and I fucking loved it. My chest finally eased enough that I didn't feel like my heart was going to stop. I moved one of my hands from his hip to grip his shaft tightly, causing him to cry out as even more cum shot out of the purpled head of his dick. This time some landed on my lips and chin. I licked it. Ethan's mouth dropped open and he clenched down on me making my eyes roll back in my head.

"Fucking icing flavored cum. Unreal."

Ethan laughed and slumped down on top of me only to twist up his face at the feeling of his release between our skin.

"I didn't mind this during my heat but next time you fuck me like that, I need a towel nearby since we're locked together now."

I ran the tip of my nose along the bridge of his and sat up. We were still locked together, and I loved it.

"Let's go to the shower."

"Um, I know I gave you shit earlier about carrying me, but it's going to be a lot harder when I am literally stuck on your dick."

I smiled at him and started shuffle-bouncing until my feet were hanging off the bed. He was clinging to me, laughing hard enough that he snorted. An embarrassed squeak followed the snort and I fought valiantly to not laugh at him. I stood and held him up by two handfuls of his ass. The angle was awkward, but he wanted to be clean, so we"d make it work.

"Wrap your legs around me."

He did as I asked but tightened his arms around my neck as well which pulled him up just enough to tug on my knot, making us both hiss at the sensation. I turned on the shower and stepped under it too soon, causing us to get sprayed by cold water for a minute or so.

"Sorry, Biscuit. I'll be more prepared next time."

"I don't mind, not like I've had any experience beyond the inflatable one Shae had. We can learn together."

My face went slack before I turned my head as shame worked its way through me. That was his first time being knotted and I'd freaked out and made it about myself. Some fucking Alpha I was turning out to be. Ethan gripped my chin again, although much gentler this time, and turned my head toward him.

"What's wrong?"

I pressed my forehead to his as I felt my knot finally going down, pretty soon we'd be able to separate.

"I made a mess of your first time being knotted. Isn't it supposed to be special or something for an Omega? Like losing your virginity? I freaked out and?—"

He silenced me with a kiss and smiled against my lips.

"Silly, Alpha. I don't need candlelight and chocolates or whatever other romantic crap running through your head. I was with you and I came more times than I have outside a heat. It was perfect."

I nuzzled into his neck and closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of warmth and love and comfort, of being with Ethan. A purr thrummed through my chest and, for the first time since I'd woken up in that hospital bed, it was because I'd wanted it to. Ethan sighed and melted into my arms under the soothing spray of the shower.

"Theo?"

"Hmm?"

"If—since you have a knot and a purr, I'm guessing you have a bark?"

I quirked a brow at him and nodded thinking back to a few times in the hospital when I'd been annoyed while speaking to the Beta nurses or doctors. They had stiffened as if fighting a compulsion before I'd realized what I'd done and apologized.

"Do you think you could bond me?"

"I don't know, Biscuit. But absolutely nothing would make me happier."

Ethan's smile was radiant and his scent warmed with happiness. He tucked his head back into my neck as we waited out the last few moments of this connection. Maybe I would get the hang of this Alpha thing after all.